


A Little More Every Day

by kawaiisumi



Category: Free!
Genre: 5+1 Things, First Dates, First Kiss, First Love, First Meetings, First Time, Fluff, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:34:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27773134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kawaiisumi/pseuds/kawaiisumi
Summary: The words settle into his chest and instead of sinking, they float. It is so light and easy; Makoto knows he’s found his place in the world. He’s right where he’s supposed to be, with Haru by his side.Aka, five firsts and one forever.Written for the Tachibana Makoto Birthday Gift Exchange 2020.
Relationships: Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33
Collections: Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange 2020





	A Little More Every Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [peachrind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachrind/gifts).



> First of all, I am so sorry to Momo for the late gift!!!! I have been working a little bit every day to get this done, and I hope that you like it!!! There is still more to come, but I wanted to get the first part of the story out there for you to enjoy. I know Makoto's birthday is days past now, but I hope this story warms your MakoHaru heart regardless.

**A Little More Every Day  
** _Aka, five firsts and one forever_

_Part 1: Five Firsts_

Makoto is a shy child. He is not overly curious. He is not overly ambitious. He is quiet and enjoys sitting in his highchair as his mother cooks dinner. She has the loveliest voice that Makoto could listen to forever. At two years old, that’s what the whole world is. His little home in a little town, where the sound of the ocean hitting the shore washes through the windows. The world that revolves around mom and dad and a little stuffed orca that sleeps tucked in beside him at night.

Makoto loves the way the stars look in the sky, the way the sun plays peek-a-boo in the clouds. Just shy of when he turns three, new neighbours move into the house up the hill. Makoto’s playing in the front yard with his mother, a blue gingham blanket spread over the grass as he sips pretend tea and feeds his mother pretend cake.

His father comes home from work smelling of sea salt and sweat, sweeping Makoto up in his arms to squeeze a hug out of him. “There’s new neighbours moving in,” Makoto’s dad says. “I met them down the hill when the van came in.”

Makoto’s mother smiles, “It’s nice to see some new face around here,” she says.

“Guess what Makoto! They have a boy, just about the same age as you!”

“Boy?” Makoto repeats, making grabby hands for his mother who laughs and takes him into her arms.

She lifts him up high until he feels like he can touch the sky, before coddling him close to her chest. “That’s right! A boy, Makoto! A friend!” Makoto squeals happily at the thought.

“Hi there!” A voice calls from the gate. A small young woman with the longest, most beautiful black hair Makoto has ever seen. She waves at Makoto’s dad, who gestures her to open the gate. Her husband, a muscular but lithe man, undoes the latch, and the door swings open.

A little boy stands beside his parents, holding his mother’s hand in his loose grasp. He’s too small to be seen over the gate door, but Makoto catches his eye when the door swings out of view. “We met down the hill,” says the boy’s mother, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “This is my husband.”

She squeezes the boy’s hand, and he looks up at her, big blue eyes the colour of the sky and the sea and everything Makoto imagines of the rest of the world. “This is our son, Haruka.”

“… Hello,” He says quietly, looking curiously at Makoto.

“Hello Haruka-chan!” Makoto’s mom says, “this is my son, Makoto.” She puts Makoto down on the ground, so he’s face to face with Haru now, who looks at him with a curious eye that just seems to expand his whole universe.

“Hi,” Haruka says, with a nod. He takes Makoto’s hand, clasping it tightly in his own.

Makoto squeaks surprisedly. “Hi,” he says, sheepishly.

Haruka smiles. And Makoto will never be the same again.

\-----

They’re fourteen when Haru tells Makoto to stop calling him Haruka. “Haru-chan then?” Makoto asks, teasing Haru just a little bit.

“Just Haru is fine,” Haru says grumpily.

Makoto hums, reading the neutral expression on Haru’s face. “But you’re not really mad, are you?”

Haru looks away indignantly, “I’m not answering that.”

It’s the first day of middle school, when Makoto sees his and Haru’s names in different classes. A weird feeling sinks into the bottom of his stomach. Since they met, Makoto and Haru had always been together. Sitting in a classroom without Haru by his side feels weird. All day, Makoto turns, expecting Haru to be right beside him.

He’s not sure when Haru started to become such a prominent figure in his life. Something in his heart hurts, it’s puzzling and strange in a way Makoto has never felt before.

Haru is waiting for him outside his classroom at the end of the day. “Oh, Haru! I wasn’t expecting to see you there,” Makoto says, surprised to see Haru waiting beside the door.

“Why do you look so surprised? Of course, I’d come for you,” Haru says. Makoto feels his face warm while Haru picks his bag up from the floor, slinging it over his shoulder. “What’s with that face?” Haru murmurs, looking away.

“Oh! Nothing! I’m h-happy,” Makoto says, rubbing his head sheepishly. “Haru-chan was thinking of me.”

“Stop with the -chan,” Haru says. They walk a few paces down the hallway, silent, until Haru mumbles, “Obviously I’d think of you.”

Makoto smiles warmly, “Of course.”

They walk home together, walking along the beach on the boardwalk. Makoto chats, and Haru listens, the same as any other day. Haru says goodbye at the gate, waving to Ran and Ren, with their faces pressed against the front window. “I’ll see you tomorrow Makoto.”

“See you,” Makoto says. He turns to go into the house but hesitates for a moment. His stomach is full of butterflies, stirring deep in the pit of his belly. “A-actually Haru… Can… Can you come over for dinner today?”

Makoto doesn’t know why he feels so nervous. Haru has come over for dinner many times before. But something inside him has changed, and he wonders if Haru has noticed too. Haru’s brows fold as he thinks, a hand lingering on the gate. “Sure,” he says, after a moment. “I just have to go home and ask my mom.”

Makoto feels a weight lift from his chest, but the fluttering butterflies flap harder. “Sure! O-okay! I’ll see you in a bit then.”

Haru arrives at his door at ten past seven. He’s wearing that blue hoodie that Makoto got him for Christmas last year, jeans rolled up to the ankle, so they don’t drag on the floor. Makoto doesn’t remember when it happened, but suddenly he was so tall, and Haru was so… small. Makoto swallows hard, pasting a grin on his face. “It’s good to see you,” he says.

Haru shrugs, “I was just here.”

“Haru-chan!” Ren and Ran push past Makoto to trample Haru with grabby hands. “You’re going to sit with us at dinner, right?”

Haru nods. “I wouldn’t sit anywhere else,” he says, letting the twins sweep him into the house, one on each arm.

Dinner is uneventful. Haru picks quietly at meat that isn’t mackerel but eats it with respect. When the dishes are cleared and the twins are off to bed, Haru says, “Makoto. Let’s go to your room.”

“Ah, okay,” Makoto says, following Haru up the stairs. Haru closes the door behind them, sitting on Makoto’s bed. Makoto hesitates, finally taking a seat on his desk chair.

“What’s wrong?” Haru says, without hesitation.

Makoto blinks. He rubs the back of his head embarrassedly. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…” He says sheepishly. The butterflies in his stomach awaken – they don’t tickle, and they don’t hurt. But they make him feel a different kind of uneasy he’s never felt before.

“Makoto, I know you,” Haru says, poignant and clear. Haru’s always been like that – never beating around the bush. He has an intoxicating kind of honesty Makoto wish he had the confidence for. “I know something is wrong. So, you can tell me.”

Haru eyebrows carve out harsh lines in his face, sketching in obvious concern. Makoto gives. “I missed you,” Makoto says, looking down at his feet. “I… I don’t like not being in the same class as you.”

There’s an excruciating silence that follows. “Come here,” Haru says. He scoots over on Makoto’s bed, back pressed against the wall. He pats the spot beside him. Makoto hears blood rushing in his ears. But he sits beside Haru, saying nothing when Haru slowly reaches for his hand.

They sit side by side like that for a while, Haru thumbing Makoto’s shaking hands. Haru’s hands are so soft. Haru inhales deeply, finally admitting, “I missed you too.”

Makoto perks up, eyes wide, “What?”

Haru’s face flushes red, “Don’t… Don’t make me say that again.” Makoto quiets, trying to smother the biggest smile from his face. Haru’s grasp around his fingers tighten. “Don’t look at me with that face.”

“Like what?” Makoto can’t help but ask, sneaking a peek at Haru’s face. His expression is wavering, a kind of complex Makoto has never seen before.

“Like you’re so happy at the thought of me.”

It’s Makoto’s turn to blush. He tries to pull his hand away to cover his face, but Haru holds on tight. “I… I’m always happy at the thought of you, Haru.”

Haru bites his bottom lip, inhaling another long and slow breath. “You mean that?” He says.

“What do you mean? Of course I-” The words fall away from Makoto’s lips when he looks at Haru. His eyes are so clear, his intentions are written in them like stars in the sky. Earnest, in a way Makoto rarely sees from Haru. Honest and real, and staring so deeply into him, he’s afraid and excited all at the same time.

Haru swallows slowly, looking away and then looking back. “Makoto?”

“Ah… Y-yes Haru?”

Haru is like a magnet, pulling him in closer. Makoto focuses on Haru’s eyes, focuses on Haru’s hand in his, the other splayed across his chest as his heart beats faster and faster. Their foreheads touch and Makoto shivers. “Are you okay?” Haru says. Makoto nods. The hair on the back of his neck raises when Haru takes his hand, laying it over his chest. Haru’s heart beats loud and steady under his fingertips. “Can I-”

“Yes,” Makoto breathes before Haru can finish, and Haru sweeps his lips over Makoto’s. Makoto can barely register any feelings. He doesn’t know what to do with his lips, his hands, his head – all he knows is that Haru is kissing him, and it is the best thing that has ever happened to him.

Haru pulls away first, pink-cheeked and breathless. His laborious breaths slowly ease, studying Makoto’s face. “Was that okay?”

Makoto nods.

Haru is his best friend. Someone he trusts more than anyone else. Someone he cares for more than he thinks he ever could. Maybe he should run before he ruins something beautiful, but maybe this moment could last forever and ever. Haru’s hands are so warm, lacing up their fingers tight. “What can I do Makoto?” Haru says. Haru’s words are confident, but his body trembles.

“I want that, again and again,” Makoto says. Haru smiles and kisses him again. And Makoto will never be the same again.

\-----

Everything has to be perfect. Makoto goes over his mental checklist once more, trying and failing to button up his shirt. His hands won’t stop shaking. He wipes his sweaty palms on his khaki pants, anxiously pacing back and forth across his room. He stops in front of the mirror, smoothing out the wrinkles in his button-down shirt, cuffing the sleeves to his mid-forearm.

His phone rings from his desk. Makoto jumps, scrambling to grab it, and nearly dropping it in the process. “Yes! Hello!” Makoto squeaks.

“… It’s me,” Haru says. “Are you okay?”

“Me? I’m fine,” Makoto says. He laughs nervously, “A-are you ready?”

“Yeah. I should be at your place in 10 minutes,” Haru replies, hanging up abruptly.

True to his word, Haru is at Makoto’s apartment, knocking on the door not a second later than 10 minutes past. Haru’s wearing one of Makoto’s shirts that he borrowed last time he slept over. Makoto doesn’t know if he did it on purpose, but his heart skips a beat. “Shall we go?” Makoto asks, shutting the door behind him with shaky hands.

Haru watches him carefully but doesn’t say anything about it, “Yeah.”

They walk down the street toward the subway station. The summer sun is hot and sweat beads down Makoto’s neck. He glances at Haru, whose face is as vacant as ever, staring off in the distance like he does when he thinks. “Haru?” Makoto pipes up sheepishly.

“Yeah?”

“C-can… Can I hold your hand?”

Haru’s face flickers, “Yeah.” Haru’s never been a man of many words, but it’s been ages since Haru has been this quiet; especially around Makoto. Haru makes no indication of moving, so Makoto shyly reaches for Haru’s hand. He interlaces their fingers, hoping his palms aren’t sweaty.

“S-so did you have any plans about what we should do? Did you want to go to the café by campus? Or maybe we should go to the m-movie theatre? I don’t know what movies are playing right now…”

“Anything is fine,” Haru says. “Whatever Makoto wants is good.”

Makoto clears his throat, pressing a smile onto his wavering face. He stops, planting Haru in place with him, fingers laced tight. “T-then let’s go here!” Makoto exclaims, pointing at the restaurant across the street.

“Okay.”

Makoto has never minded silence between them. Haru doesn’t say many things, and Makoto doesn’t mind. It’s part of what makes Haru who he is. But Makoto can’t take sitting across from Haru on their first date ever in a restaurant neither of them especially picked out, with Haru barely saying a word. Hell, Haru’s barely _looked_ at him the entire time they’ve been out.

“What are you eating Haru-chan?”

“Lay off the chan,” Haru says. He closes the menu. “They don’t have mackerel here.”

“Did you want to go somewhere else?” Makoto asks. He fidgets nervously, his foot tapping wildly beneath the table. “We can go s-somewhere you like more…”

“It’s fine.”

Makoto swallows hard, “Is it fine?” The words come out harsher than he expected; not sharp, but polished with blunt, hard edges that Makoto knows Haru hears. Makoto takes a breath, “Haru…” He lowers his voice, simmering above the noise in the restaurant. “This is our first date. Our first real date. And… You can’t even look at me.” Makoto’s chest burns. He sneaks a look at Haru, stunned to see Haru’s cheeks flood red.

Haru clears his throat. He meets Makoto’s eyes, face aglow and embarrassed. “Makoto I can’t look at you…” Haru confesses. “Because when I do… I feel like I might die.” Haru can’t take it anymore, covering his hands with his face.

Makoto is stunned. “Haru… could it be that you’re… _nervous_?” Makoto stifles the laughter that tries to bubble up in his stomach.

Haru lifts his head from his hands, pouting. “I’m _not_ nervous.”

“It’s okay to be nervous,” Makoto says, trying to humour him.

Haru concedes inches. “Okay. Maybe I’m a little…”

“Nervous?”

Haru narrows his eyes. He props his elbow on the table, cradling his chin in the palm of his hand. “Maybe.”

“Haru, I’m nervous too.”

Haru seems surprised, staring at him with wide and incredulous eyes. “You are?”

“Of course I am,” Makoto says. He leans back slowly, trying to think of what to say. “Haru, I’ve been up all night for the past week thinking about today and everything that could possibly go wrong; everything that _I_ could do wrong.”

That makes Haru smile. His eyebrows relax and the lines of his forehead soften. He looks into Makoto’s eyes sincerely, “Makoto is Makoto. Nothing you do could ever be wrong.”

Makoto breathes out laughter, leaning over the table toward Haru until they meet each other in the middle. “I love it when you look at me,” Makoto says.

Haru smirks, pressing a chaste kiss onto Makoto’s nose. “Makoto?”

“Yes Haru?”

“Let’s find a place that serves mackerel.”

Makoto chuckles. “I thought you’d never ask.”

That’s when Haru laughs, and it’s like the nervousness lifts off his shoulders. He rakes a hand through his hair, reaching for Makoto’s hand as they flee from the restaurant before the waiter comes back to check on them.

Haru squeezes Makoto’s hand three times, holding on like he never plans on letting go. And Makoto will never be the same again.

\-----

It’s been a while since the two of them had stood at the crest of the cliff overlooking the ocean. If Makoto squints, he can see the paper lanterns float down the stream from below, and the fisherman prepare the fireworks on the beach shore. Last time he came here with Haru, it felt like he had lost everything. He and Haru had never fought before. They’d never raised their voices at each other, questioned the other’s intentions, or said things to hurt each other. And in a single moment, it felt like everything they had, everything they had gone through, had exploded just like that. In a single moment, Makoto feared he had lost the one person who was the most important to him. The one person he never, ever wanted to lose.

And it made him realize; he would do anything to never feel that way again.

“What are you thinking about?” Haru says, an arm loosely draped over the railing. He looks at Makoto with that soft expression reserved just for him. It makes Makoto’s heart melt all over again.

“I was thinking about last year,” Makoto reminisces. “And how much has changed since then.”

Haru hums thoughtfully, reaching for Makoto’s hand to link their fingers together. In a rare moment of vulnerable reflection, Haru says, “I thought I lost you that day.” Haru swallows hard, and his grip on Makoto’s fingers tighten. “I’d never thought about life without you before then. I realized how naïve I was… thinking things could stay the same forever. Thinking… that you would stay with me forever, no matter what.”

Makoto sees the fisherman on the shore strike matches and set the firework wicks alight. “If it’s Haru-chan… I will stay. If I have a choice, I will always choose you.” The words settle into his chest and instead of sinking, they float. It is so light and easy; Makoto knows he’s found his place in the world. He’s right where he’s supposed to be, with Haru by his side. “I can’t imagine my life without you Haru-chan,” Makoto says.

Haru’s brows furrow and he looks at Makoto with such conviction, it’s paralyzing. “Makoto.”

“Yeah?”

The fireworks whistle, shooting for the sky. They boom overhead, and Makoto almost misses Haru’s next words.

“I love you.”

The fireworks shatter, falling in blinding lights down the sky. They illuminate Haru’s face and Makoto sees him so clearly. He’s always known; with Haru, he’s never doubted it for a moment. But hearing it out loud for the very first time breaks him in the most beautiful way possible.

He swallows hard, blinking frantically to clear his wet eyes. “I love you too Haru.”

Haru’s face just lights up, his smile sincere and clear and wonderful and beautiful. And Makoto will never be the same again.

\-----

It’s five o’clock in the morning and it’s cold. The sun barely scrapes the sky, dragging hazy summer light onto the floorboards. They stretch in the brisk air, creaking through the walls. Makoto turns, seeking out Haru’s body until his face nestles into the space between Haru’s shoulders. Haru murmurs softly when Makoto’s hands wrap around his slender hips. “Mmm… What time is it?” Haru mumbles sleepily.

He flips over, his head finding its spot carved out into Makoto’s chest. Makoto sighs, palms splayed across the expanse of Haru’s back. “It’s almost five, I think…” Makoto says, “maybe six? Sun’s coming up.”

“Too early,” Haru says.

Makoto hums in agreement, hands falling beneath the thin cotton fabric of Haru’s shirt as he works it off his body. “Too early,” he echoes, closing his lips over Haru’s pale skin, sucking until it blossoms.

Haru groans, squirming under Makoto’s touch, “Mmm… Don’t leave marks like that.”

Makoto chuckles warmly, “You don’t like it?”

“Other people don’t like it,” Haru replies, more adamantly this time. “ _I_ like it.”

Makoto smiles, rolling himself on top of Haru. He braces his forearms on both sides of Haru’s head. With a gentle hand, Makoto brushes the hair from Haru’s face. Haru tips his chin just slightly, brushing his lips over Makoto’s mouth. Makoto groans, prying Haru’s mouth open until their lips lock in a perfect seal. Haru’s hands rake Makoto’s back, his nails scraping skin, leaving Makoto trembling. “Mmm… Haru…” Makoto pulls away to groan.

“Makoto.” Haru’s voice always has so much conviction.

“Yeah?”

Haru’s eyes study his face like he’s trying to etch every detail of it into his memory. “I… I want to have sex with you.”

The statement catches Makoto off guard. “W-what?”

“It doesn’t have to be right now,” Haru says. “But… I love you. And I want you.” Haru blushes brilliantly. “I want you; whenever you’re ready.”

Makoto feels warmth blossom in his chest like flowers in the spring. “You mean that?”

Haru nods. He tries to look away, but Makoto cups his hand around Haru’s cheek. “I want to be with you too Haru.”

There’s a stillness; the connotations of the words sinking into the cold morning air. “Okay,” Haru says. He takes a deep breath. “Makoto lie down on your back.”

“What?” Makoto crinkles his eyebrows but does what Haru says. He stretches out with his head on the pillows, yelping when Haru climbs on top of him. “H-Haru? What are you doing?”

Haru kisses his jaw, then his neck, then his collarbone. Makoto whimpers when Haru’s fingers curl around the waistband of his sweatpants, tugging them off slowly. Makoto feels himself getting hard. He can’t help it, not when Haru’s head is between his thighs. Haru leans his head down, his eyes tracing out the shape of Makoto’s cock. He licks his lips, running the tip of his tongue over the swollen vein on the underside of his shaft. “Ah… H-Haru…” Makoto moans, fingers digging into the sheets.

His noises only seem to spur Haru on. Haru flattens out his tongue, languidly licking up Makoto’s shaft until his lips close around the head of his cock. Makoto feels Haru slide his cock into the tight warmth of his mouth, and it feels so good, it’s almost enough to push him straight to the edge.

But Haru’s not done with him yet. His hands wrap around the base of his dick, one pumping the shaft, the other cupping his ball sack. All the motions at once have Makoto seeing stars behind his eyelids. He groans loudly, his hands gripping onto Haru’s hair. “Haru… Oh… oh god…” Makoto shivers, his thighs clenching, his calves tightening. Haru slackens his jaw, pushing forward until his nose is nuzzling Makoto’s pubic bone. Haru moans and the vibrations rising from his throat is enough to make Makoto’s knees quake. With a cry, Makoto bucks his hips into Haru’s mouth, shots of come pouring down Haru’s throat.

Haru grunts, sliding his mouth off Makoto’s cock, swallowing. Makoto stares wide eyed, while Haru licks his lips. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Makoto squeaks, covering his face with his hands. “I didn’t mean to-”

“Makoto, it’s okay,” Haru says, wiping his chin with the back of his hand. His cheeks pinken before he adds quietly, “… I liked it.”

The words have blood rushing back to Makoto’s groin. Makoto sits up, grabbing onto Haru’s arm. “Hey, what are you doing?” Haru yelps. Makoto pulls him into his lap, Haru’s legs straddling his hips. “Ah… M-Makoto…” Makoto’s hand dips into Haru’s pants, prying at Haru’s sticky underwear to slide his fingers around Haru’s cock. Haru’s legs tighten around his hips, his hands grabbing onto Makoto’s hair. “Ngh… You can… You can move a little.” Haru bucks his hips into the squeeze of Makoto’s hands impatiently.

Makoto chuckles, kissing Haru’s jaw as his other hand pulls Haru’s clothes past his thighs. Their skin is really touching, and Makoto can feel Haru’s cock twitching in his hands, and _oh god_ , the sounds Haru makes is music to his ears. Haru leans forward, his head on Makoto’s shoulder, licking and sucking on the crook of Makoto’s neck until they’re both panting and rocking into each other. Haru’s hand sneaks between them, smothering Makoto’s own. “Oh Haru…” Makoto moans when Haru begins to jerk him off. His hips are moving faster, and the bed squeaks with the shifting weight of Haru’s hips.

“I’m… gonna come…” Haru groans, lips swollen, and pupils blown wide. Makoto nods eagerly, thrusting his hips in time with Haru’s hands. It’s messy, and sticky, and nothing like Makoto ever imagined it, but the way Haru moans his name when he comes is something Makoto never wants to forget. “Makoto! Ah…! Makoto!” Haru’s back flexes, arching as he ejaculates all over himself. The sight is enough to make Makoto come for the second time that morning.

It takes a while for them to catch their breath; Haru peeling his sticky legs from Makoto’s hips. “Here,” Haru says, handing Makoto the box of tissues from the nightstand.

“Was that good?” Makoto asks, too sheepishly for someone who just had sex for the first time.

Haru flushes, “Of course it was.”

Makoto preens, cupping Haru’s face to kiss him slowly. He’ll never forget the way Haru’s body feels against his. And Makoto will never be the same.

**Author's Note:**

> Stay tuned for part 2! As always, feel free to leave a kudos or comment to let me know what you thought! Come find me on @kawaiisumi on twitter, and let's chat!


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